Independent publication

Silicosis, engineered stone and the litigation around them, documented from primary sources.

Silicosis Lawsuit is an independent, evidence-led reference on silicosis: the disease, the occupational silica exposure that causes it, the engineered-stone outbreak, the lawsuits and verdicts that have followed, and the regulation and resources that affect workers. It is written for workers and families, journalists, researchers and lawyers, and every material claim is tied to a cited source.

This site is not a law firm and does not take claims. If you need a lawyer, start with finding an attorney.

Illustration contrasting a healthy lung with a silica-damaged lung, beside a worker cutting stone in a cloud of dust

Why engineered stone is the story

Engineered stone, the quartz countertop material, is typically more than 90% crystalline silica. Cutting and polishing it without effective dust control has produced an outbreak of accelerated silicosis among fabrication workers, concentrated in California and falling largely on young Latino immigrant men. It is now at the centre of product-liability litigation against manufacturers, of Cal/OSHA rulemaking, and of a debate over banning the material.

Read the engineered-stone guide →

Understanding the disease

Silicosis Symptoms

The early and advanced symptoms of silicosis, how they differ across the chronic, accelerated, and acute forms, and when to see a doctor after silica dust exposure.

What Causes Silicosis? Silica Dust Exposure Explained

Silicosis is caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica dust. Learn what silica is, which jobs cause exposure, how the dust damages the lungs, and how exposure is prevented.

Silicosis Treatment

There is no cure for silicosis, but treatment can ease symptoms and slow progression. Learn the management options, from stopping exposure to medications, oxygen, and lung transplant.

Understanding the litigation

Silicosis Lawsuit

A plain-English guide to silicosis lawsuits — who is being sued, how the legal process works, recent verdicts, who may qualify, and the latest 2026 developments.

Who Is Responsible for Silicosis? Liability Explained

Who can be held responsible in a silicosis case — manufacturers, suppliers, and employers — the legal grounds used, and how fault is decided. Plain-English liability guide.

Silicosis Settlement Amounts

What silicosis settlements have been worth, the types of compensation involved, the factors that drive case value, and why no one can promise a specific amount.

The record, in numbers

631confirmed California cases since 2019, 74 transplants, 35 deaths (CDPH, 13 August 2026)5US jury verdicts: 4 for workers, 1 for the defense, $52.4M to $7.1M 11peer-reviewed studies indexed, 2012 to 2026, checked against PubMed

Every figure on this site comes from a record you can download: the verdict tracker, litigation tracker, defendant index, regulation register, California timeline, research timeline and worker resource directory, all on the open data page as CSV and JSON. Each record carries its sources and a verification label.

California

The outbreak, the rules and the trials are concentrated in one state. The California overview puts the numbers, the regulatory response and the litigation on one page; the timeline lists what happened when.

Información en español para trabajadores: síntomas, piedra artificial y recursos en California.

How this site works

Material claims are sourced to government agencies (CDC/NIOSH, OSHA, Cal/OSHA, CDPH), peer-reviewed research, court records and established news organisations, and the sources are listed on each page. See the methodology.
Allegations in lawsuits are described as allegations until a court has ruled on them.
Errors are corrected, logged and acknowledged. See the corrections policy.
Edited by Dr. Ahmad Hassan, PhD. Research and drafting are AI-assisted under editorial review; the About page explains how.

This site provides general information only and is not legal or medical advice. See the Notice & Disclaimer.